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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. spring — the season
  4. staff — employees
  5. tube — a container
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bass — low music
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. staff — employees
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. spring — of water
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bass — the fish
  17. dip — to sink
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. staff — a stick
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. drill — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com